Shaft-brake or friction device.



F. A. READ.

SHAFT BRAKE OB FRICTION DEVICE. APPLIOATION rum) D110. 1, 1911.

nuIlIIIS PEYERS. |NC.. LIYNOV. VIA; NNNNNNNN D Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED A. BEAD, 0F LYNN, -MASS ACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR TO THE REECE BUTTON HOLE MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORIPORATION 0F MAINE.

SHAFT-BRAKE UR FRICTION DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

AppIicationiiled Deceinber 1, 1911. Serial No. 663.450.

Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of 'lllassachusetts, havemvented .certaln new and useful Improvements 1n Shaft-Brakes orlfrictionDevices', of which the following use specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to a shaft brake or a device for imposingfriction upon a machine shaft for various purposes, such for example as to prevent undue and improper shaft .move'ments. \Vhile the present device might be employed in many varied situations, I' will herein describe it as ap-. plied to a shaft driven by a pawl and ratchet, the shaft carrying, for example, a worm'for 111 turn driving a worm wheel.

The present invention, while it might be employed on any kind of machine, is shown as. appli;ed 'in connection with mechanical parts constituting members of the Reece buttonhole sewing machine.

Understanding that the embodiment about to be described, represents only one use of the present invention, I will now refer to the figures of the drawings constituting a part of this application.

Figure 1" is a view-showing the shaft lengthwise, of sufficient ofthe parts of a machine to indicate the construction, arrangementand function of the present invention. Fig. 1 may also be said to be a top View of the parts shown in Fig. 2 with the arm H, however, broken off in the lane -1-1, and the parts K, K, la, la omitted.

Fig. 2 is an elevation looking from the righthand side toward the'parts shown in Fig. 1; and to accommodate Fig. 2 on the sheet it has been turned at right angles instead of presenting it upright. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view similar to the view in Fig. 1, of certain parts of the present invention.

Similar letters of' reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The casing A and shaft bearings B, B, as also the yoke B connecting the latter, are relatively stationary, parts of a machine of any desired type; although all the parts seen in Fig. 1 may in fact shift or oscillate in the operation of the machine, for example, in accordance with the shifting of the needle in traveling around a buttonhole.

movement, vibrating means may lilngaging the bearings B, B is the shaft C, to which my present invention is shown applied. I

' At the left end of shaft 0 is a member D which may constitute a pulley, and also a part of 'a clutch for certain purposes, but. which forms no part of the present invention and will not be further described.

The shaft C to which my invention is herein applied may be for the purpose of operating a worm and wheel, there being shown a worm E on the shaft driving a worm wheel F within the casing A. The purpose of the worm wheel F- may be, for

example, to drive a slow moving cam F,.

It being desired to give a step-by-step motion to the parts described, the shaft- (9\ shown as actuated through a pawl and ratchet device. Thus a ratchet wheel G is shown which rotates with the shaft C, said wheel having a hub g by which it is secured to shaft C through a pin g"passing through hub and shaft. A pawl support H may comprisea long'arm h and a short arm h rigidly connected to each other and free to rotate with respect to shaft C and ratchet G, Carried on the short arm h is the pawl J, having spring adapted to maintain the pawl in constant cngagemeht with the teeth of the ratchet wheel G.

To actuate the pawl to drive the ratchet and thereby the shaft C with a step-by-step be employed for oscillating the arm I: of the pawl support H. Thus upon any shaft K of the machine may be mounted an eccentriclc which engages an eccentric piece In, which latter is connected by link K to said arm h. Rotation of shaft K thereby effects oscillation of arm h and consequently the to-and fro movement of the pawl over the teeth of the ratchet wheel.

W'ith a well constructed and well oiled machine, it is obvious that there will-be a distinct tendency on the backward or nonfeeding movement of the pawl to carry the shaft C backwardly and'thereby elf-set the feed of the parts by restoring them to or toward their previous position. This objection has been found to be so serious that expcdients have been devised to correct it, it having been known, for example, to apply a. friction brake consisting of a specially provided peripheral band engaging upon the periphery of a wheel. The-wheel F for exspace, is troublesome. to keep in adjustment,

wears rapidly, and is costly to renew. ith my improvement about to be re ferred to, all of the objections above noted are overcome and a small, compact, simple, inexpensive, durable device is afforded which I have found to very efiieiently serve the purpose at hand.

My improved device L may be described as a shaft device, since it surrounds a shaft, for example the shaft C, and it is in the form of a ring in the sense of surrounding or substantially surroi'lnding the shaft. The 7 device. L is so constructed and arranged as to impose a friction on the movement of the shaft C, thereby preventing its accidental backward revolution when not desired. The

ring device L to this end consists not of a flat ring but one deflected out of flatness, preferably by splitting it and off-setting one part with respect to another. Thus referring more particularly to Fig. 3,,the device L is seen to consist of a split ringha'ving its free ends bent longitudinally. from each other so that in effect the rings form is similar to one convolution of a helix.

In order to confine the device L in place,

40 so as to impose the required friction, I have provided a collar M which may be secured to the shaft C insuch manner as to secure the device L between the collar and the bearing B, whereby the cndwise pressure of the device and friction resulting therefrom will tend to prevent the shafts undue movement. Referring to the further preferred details ofthe device L, it will be seen that it is pro-.

vided with an annular rib Z, this serving to increase the strength, the durability and the friction of the device. Also the device L is shown as located upon the shaft C between two washer members N and O, and thewasher N is shown as having a dished form for accommodating the rib Z of the device L.

The collar M may also be dished for a similar purpose.

The collar M may have a clamping device m whereby the collar may be'tightened upon so the shaft in any desired adjustment,- and if thehub g shall be fixed upon the shaft C as shown, then the collar M would be employed for adjusting the compression and thereby the friction imposed by the device L. A nut e5 P engaging a screw thread on the end of shaft C and bearing against a collar on said shaft, serves to hold the parts in place.

In Figs. 1 and 2 a washer g is shown insertedfor convenience between the nut P and the hub of ratchet wheel Gr, although said -washer might be formed integral with the nut in either case. 7

The adjustment of the parts in Fig. 1 may be considered as not sufficiently tight for imposing any great friction, the parts having'been shown this adjustment for clearness. In practical use the parts may be so designed and arranged that the ring device L will be compressed substantially into flat condition when in proper adjustment.

It will be seen that by reason of the construction above shown and described a shaft brake or friction device is provided which answers the objects and affords the advantages of the invention as hcreinbefore set 8 forth; and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Having thus described my invention, what claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. The combination of a shaft,-ashaftfriction device including a ring-sh aped-memf ber of resilient material encompassing said shaft and formed with but a pair of side surfaces and split at one point to presentos two ends which are initially deformed to lie out of alinement and which by pressure are adapted to be brought toward approximate alinement, and pressure-exerting means. tending to aline said ends and cause friction on the shaft of a degree corresponding to the relative position of said initially unalined ends.

2. The combination of a shaft, a shaftfriction device includinga ring-shaped me nber of resilient material enconipassin shaft and formed with but a *pair 0 surfaces and split at one point to present two ends which are initially deformedto lie out of alinement and which by pressure are 11.10:

adapted to be brought toward approximate alinement, said memberhaving formedon one of its said side surfaces. an annular strengthening and resiliency-increasing rib, and pressureexerting means tending to.115 aline said ends and cause friction on the shaft of a degree corresponding to the relative position of said initially unalined ends.

3. The combination of' a shaft, a shaftfriction device including a ring-shaped mem- 12o ber of resilient material encompassing said shaft and formed with but a pair of sidesurfaces and split at one point to present two ends which are initially deformed to lie out of alinement and which by pressure are 1% adapted to be brought toward approximate alinement, said member having formed on one of its said'side surfaces an annular strengthening and resiliency-increasingrib,

a dished washer adapted to engage and house we.

, a. portion of said ribbed member, and pressure-exerting means tending toaline said ends cause frictionv on the shaft of a degree corres'pondingto the relative position of said initially unalined ends. T

. ,4.- In-.'combination,-ashaft provided with an. annular shoulder, a washer juxtaposed thereto, means for intermittently rotating said: shaft,'and' la "frictiomimp'osmg device encompassing. said shaft and including a and washers and thereby compress the un-.

alihed portions of said ring-shaped member whereby said unalined ends tend to aline and cause the member to impose friotion upon said shaft.

5.111 combination, a shaft provided-with BEST NI ring-shaped member'formed with two sideafis 'lonly and'split at one point to prean annular shoulder, a washer juxtaposed thereto, means for intermittently rotating said shaft, and a friction-imposing device encompassing said shaft and including a dished washer loose on said shaft, a resilient ring-shaped member formed with two sidesurfaces only and split at one point to present two'ends normally deformed out of alinement and provided on one of said side-' surfaces with an annular rib adapted to fit into said dished washer, the opposite.sidesurface of said member enga mentioned washer and the litter engaging ing said firstthe shoulder on the shaft, and adjustable means acting to change the relation between sald shoulder and washers and thereby compress the unalined portions of said ring' shaped member whereby said unalined ends tend to aline and cause the member to impose friction upon sa1d shaft.

A In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED A. READ. Witnesses:

DONALD CAMPBELL, Gno. E. GILL.

iii-deli. COPY 

